3 ills of Brazilian football
The association football tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be held from the 3rd to the 20th August in Brazil with 16 nations, three from Asia namely Iraq, Japan and South Korea. Hosts Brazil have been placed in Group A with Denmark, Iraq and South Africa.
The hosts won either silver or bronze in four of the last eight Olympic Football, but never annexed gold medal to the dismay of the nation. Coach Dunga knows it very well that Brazil could not exploit the home advantage in the World Cup Football in 1950 and 2014. He knows also that his contract with the Brazil Football Confederation will be scratched in case of his failure to secure gold.
I think that the hosts are not favourites for three reasons. Firstly, most of the players are physically unfit, secondly, the Brazilian footballers nowadays do not work hard when they play for the national team, and thirdly they lack shooting power.
Naturally question arises what are the remedies? My suggestions are as under:-
Appointment of a European as coach of the national team, giving emphasis on the skills and techniques that Brazil adopted in 1958 and 1962, and selection of physically strong players, who can work hard.
No Asian team is capable of winning soccer gold as yet.
Abdullah Akber
Dhaka
